Government Publishing Formats

[Nicholas Bohm]

As many acknowledge, this list has been remarkable for the participation in
it of Government officials.  In that respect it seems to be a rare and
valuable example of valuable potential developments of government and
democracy in the electronic age.  We should all be grateful, and from time
to time some of us have indeed said so to Nigel and others.

At the same time, they need feedback on the exercise, just as all suppliers
need feedback from their customers, even if they find it hard to give it a
warm response.  So grumbles about proprietary formats are in fact not
trivial, and deserve better than rejection as whinges.

Imagine electronic property conveyancing:  will the Land Registry try to
force us all to prepare documents in some proprietary format, or will it
try to cope with anything we may throw at it?  Compared with the problem of
authentication, the problem of format compatibility seems to me a
considerable obstacle.

Regards,

Nicholas Bohm

Salkyns, Great Canfield,
Takeley, Bishop's Stortford CM22 6SX, UK

Phone		01279 871272	(+44 1279 871272)
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Mobile   	0860 636749  	(+44 860 636749)

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